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Moving geographic information systems to cloud systems could mean facing many hurdles, such as reliable broadband access, workflow challenges and cost. At the recent Esri European User Conference in Madrid, Esri President Jack Dangermond predicted it would take "pretty dramatic" changes to make GIS services available via the cloud, as the services would need to accommodate various platforms running in different environments. GIS products developed using cloud tools will incorporate more automated tools, make use of 3D maps and rely more on standardized templates that can be adapted on the fly, according to this article.

Esri is developing a cloud-based platform for public safety agencies and emergency responders with the help of the National Alliance for Public Safety GIS Foundation. Esri will also help train workers on how to use the platform, which will provide interactive maps and analysis. "We are taking the complexities of GIS and trying to demystify and put them into tools and applications that non-GIS people can use to support their operations," said Esri's Russ Johnson.

In this article, Esri founder and President Jack Dangermond discusses the history of GIS, its migration to the cloud and the ways Big Data could shape its future applications. The technique known as geo-fencing could be used for all sorts of potential purposes, such as keeping track of your kids and protecting U.S. embassies, Dangermond notes.

In this interview, Esri President Jack Dangermond discusses cloud GIS and the power of mapping tools, among other topics. "Maps are a language," he said. "And their power is that they communicate intuitively to people."

Geographic information systems have already positively affected the environment and the economy, but the technology could accomplish much more, said Esri President Jack Dangermond, speaking at the Esri Senior Executive Seminar. However, he said, organizations need more than just a vision to implement GIS -- they need a plan and budget commitments to see it through. "Successful GIS implementation is not just technology; Management needs to be involved. [They] need to have a governance and a finance model ... it has to be planned as to what you can get out of these systems," he said.